Articles for tag: Bob Russell

October 20, 2010

Christian Standard

The Just One Challenge

        By Kevin Ingram and Matt Proctor Bob Russell believes the Restoration Movement has a problem. The retired senior minister of Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, sees a declining number of students interested in ministry. “As I talk with our Bible college presidents, I”m seeing a real drop in students who want to preach the gospel,” says Bob Russell. Why? “Various factors may contribute,” he answers. “The secularization of society, the postmodern mind-set that denigrates anything authoritative, the declining number of teens in Christian service camps, and the passive involvement of ministers in the lives of teens.”

August 18, 2010

Christian Standard

Encouraged . . . and Disturbed

  By Mark A. Taylor Holy, holy, holy, All the saints adore thee. I looked down at the floor of the convention hall, almost full with fellow-saints singing the old words, and I thought about Heaven. I glanced down my row at my wife sitting beside Pat Merold who sat beside her husband, Ben. My preacher, Tom Moll, was on the aisle in the bleachers below me; beside him were Allan Dunbar and his wife. Bob Russell was a few rows ahead of them. All around us were people I didn”t know, and they were singing too. The scene made

May 9, 2010

Christian Standard

Like Father, Like Son

By Victor Knowles Abraham was such a godly man that he drew the applause of Heaven. God gave him ultimate praise: “For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just” (Genesis 18:19). Dwight L. Moody said, “I believe the family was established long before the church, and my duty is to my family first. I am not to neglect my family.” Strong families produce strong leaders that produce strong churches. Perhaps the most famous father-son preaching pair in

March 28, 2010

Christian Standard

Building Bonds Between Elders and Ministers (Part 2)

By Bob Russell In 1965, Butch Dabney served as chairman of the pulpit committee for the newly established Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky. A few months before I was asked to preach a trial sermon, Butch approached the president of Cincinnati Bible Seminary and asked for the names of young preachers who had the potential to grow with the church. Butch said, “We want to hire a young man and we”re going to make him successful.” That phrase describes the attitude elders should have toward their preacher: one of their primary functions is to help make the preacher successful.

March 28, 2010

Christian Standard

The Blessings of Scarcity

By Stephen Bond I meet for lunch every month with four other senior pastors who serve in my community. I”m surprised by the openness of each pastor in sharing the unique hurdles and challenges his church faces. But one challenge we”ve all wrestled with in the past two years is finances. The economic downturn has affected our churches in different degrees””but we”ve all felt the crunch. In our state, Nevada, unemployment hovers near 13 percent. When people don”t have jobs, it often means they don”t have money to support their local church. This inevitably affects the financial resources churches have

March 21, 2010

Christian Standard

Building Bonds Between Elders and Ministers (Part 1)

By Bob Russell One of the most intense topics in church leadership seminars these days is elder/preacher relationships. One minister said, “In our church I get the impression that it”s the preacher”s job to cast vision and the elder”s job to prevent it from happening.” But it”s not always the elders who are to blame for conflicts with the minister. Many times the problem lies with a preacher or staff member who is lazy, unethical, controlling, defiant, or spiritually immature. I”ve observed four ministries recently that looked impressive from the outside, but suddenly the preacher was asked to resign. People

March 21, 2010

Christian Standard

When You Feel Like Giving Up, Giving In, or Getting Out

By Rick Grover I probably shouldn”t be writing this on a Monday. But deadlines are deadlines, and ministry, as you know, isn”t all about how we feel . . . even (and perhaps especially) when we feel like giving up, giving in, or getting out. I didn”t always feel this way, and I don”t always feel this way now. But it is Monday. And I, like so many other preachers, look back on Sunday with those “woulda, coulda, shoulda” thoughts that drag us downward. Maybe I”m sounding a bit overdramatic, but I don”t think so. Ministers don”t always like to

September 30, 2009

Christian Standard

Interview with Terry Erwin

By Brad Dupray One hundred years ago, 25,000 Christians from around the United States gathered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for a convention celebrating the 100th anniversary of Thomas Campbell”s Declaration and Address, a formative document in Restoration Movement history. In this bicentennial year, as Christians gather around the world to celebrate a “Great Communion” today, another gathering will take place in Pittsburgh. Terry Erwin, minister with Norwin Christian Church, has worked with his associate, Ed Gratton, to plan festivities honoring the memory of Thomas Campbell, but most importantly, to serve as a remembrance of the Lord Jesus Christ as those gathered

September 23, 2009

Christian Standard

Interview with Allan Dunbar

By Brad Dupray When the city of Calgary, Alberta, celebrated its centennial, Allan Dunbar was selected as one of three of the most inspirational people in its history. During 22 years as senior pastor of Bow Valley Christian Church in Calgary, where he had a national television ministry, Allan earned the respect of his countrymen, enough to spend five years on the Canadian Olympic Development Committee while leading the spiritual outreach for the 1988 Winter Olympics. Allan’s respect was well-earned within the Christian world, as well, having served as dean of the Billy Graham School of Evangelism, president of Puget

September 20, 2009

Christian Standard

MEDIUM-SIZED CHURCHES: The Leadership Factor

  by Kent E. Fillinger What situations foster or frustrate church growth? Some statistics correlate directly to growth, while other items have an indirect effect or no apparent impact at all. But two recurring statistics directly impact a church”s growth rate in ways that deserve attention. These two statistics have held true from megachurches to medium-sized churches over four surveys in a four-year period (2005″“08). The two factors both relate to the senior minister. One is his age. The other is his tenure. Combined, they create what I call the “leadership factor.”   The Leadership Factor  The average age of

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